In July last year Dods Plc, which Lord Ashcroft controlled 23% of at the time, bought PoliticsHome from two companies owned by Lord Ashcroft. In November Loss-making ePolitix.com and the House Magazine were merged with loss-making PoliticsHome. Today it seems Dods have made a real purchase rather than merely streamlining the paperwork. They are buying their rival DeHavilland Political Intelligence from Emap for £12.8 million. A merger is only a matter of time…

Given that Ashcroft has already made losses in the region of £5 million since his sojourn into the online political world began two years ago, a money-making plan is long overdue:

Dods will be placing two hundred million new ordinary shares at 5.5p each. Ashcroft has already increased his stake in the company to 42.9% by buying over half of them. Another £6 million ploughed in…